Explority Ethnicity As A Major Cause Of Violence In Latin America

8 Pages 2023 Words

Exploring Ethnicity as a Major Cause of
Violence in Latin America – Primarily Guatemala & Columbia

By: Derek Lowe
Friday, April 25, 2003




This research paper is entitled exploring ethnicity because that is my endeavor. To support my thesis of ethnicity as the major factor of violence in today’s countries of Guatemala and Columbia. For clarification on the meaning of the word ethnicity – I will give the definition as the following: Ethnic Background, way of life, trait, etc.1 This definition will be key in understanding of ethnicity part in the violence portrayed in the countries of Guatemala and Columbia. My main focus will be however on the country of Guatemala.
The dictionary defines the way of life as being part of ethnicity. Therefore that brings in several major factors of the Mayan indigenous people. One major factor was the fact that their lives were governed by their religion. Research shows that “ Religion Permeated all phases of Mayan life. Law and taxation, for example, were interpreted as religious principles and religious offerings. Education was conducted mainly as training for priests, who made reading, writing, and learning caste specialties…. They conducted the numerous public rituals, including some human sacrifice by decapitation.”2 We can see now that religion was a major aspect of the indigenous Guatemalans. Therefore when this supreme way of life (ethnicity) was disrupted, the result was violence.
Another major factor was brought to the indigenous group during the classic period (250 – 900). In Mayan teachings was now taught that land equaled life and to take away a Mayan’s land was to take away his/her life.3 What may now go through the readers head at this point is how do these factors, formerly stated support this thesis over



the opposing thesis of outside intervention being the major cause of violence in Guatemala and Columbia today.
What I want is the reader not ...